1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of apparel to be worn by humans, and more specifically, to athletic gloves having palm-located pads or cushions that are constructed and arranged to aid a cyclist in gripping the handlebar of a bicycle as the palm pads protect, cushion and pad the hands of the cyclist.
2. Description of the Related Art
Athletic gloves, and particularly cycling gloves, of various configurations have become popular because they aid in gripping the handlebar of a bicycle, they are durable, they provide cushioning, they protection to the hands of the cyclist in the case of a fall, and they minimize abrasion to the hands of the cyclist.
The following examples of athletic gloves are incorporated herein by, reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,276 (which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Pat. No. 5,926,847) describes a padded athletic glove wherein pre-formed, air-blown, silicon foam pads are stitched onto the glove, or are applied to the glove using an adhesive. Cycling gloves are mentioned wherein protective padding is provided on the palm and/or fingers of the glove, Athletic gloves are described that protect the palms and/or fingers, athletic gloves are described that assist in the catching of a ball or another object, and athletic gloves are described that enhance the gripping of an object already that is held in the hand. Pads are described that range from about 0.010-inch to about 0.012-inch thick, having a durometer range of about 45 Shore A to about 55 Shore A, and having a specific gravity of about 1.12 to about 1.16.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,987,642 describes a batting glove that includes shock-absorbing vinyl nitril pads (about {fraction (1/16)} to {fraction (3/32)}-inch thick) that are glued to the glove and then covered by a thin layer of leather that is sewn to the glove.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,598,582 describes a heat-resistant glove having a raised silicone portion that is formed on the palm by applying the silicone through a nozzle to form a computer-controlled pad pattern, whereupon the silicone is cured.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,790,980 describes a stitched and padded glove that includes a heat softening, slow recovery, medium density, polyurethane foam pad that, when heated by the hand, conforms to the shape of the hand.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,038,787 describes an abrasive glove wherein the palm/fingers of the glove include abrading pads whose upper layer contains grit particles, and whose lower layer is a waterproof adhesive.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,809 describes a protective glove having a number of spaced pads that edge to edge abut when the glove is closed on to an object, so as to form a generally continuous pad for the hand. The use of pads that are made from natural or synthetic rubber, natural or synthetic rubber foams with open or closed cells, polymeric (polyurethane and polystyrene) foams with open or closed cells, or impact absorbent gels that may require a containment pouch, are suggested.
Embodiments of the invention provide athletic gloves having a number of strategically-located palm pads, each palm pad being formed from three flexible layers, sheets or pieces, i.e. a relatively thin and lower heat-sensitive adhesive layer, film or membrane that may be formed of a thermoplastic polymer such as polyurethane (PU) or of a synthetic thermoplastic polymer such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a relatively thick and middle layer that may be formed of a heat-meltable or heat-deformable synthetic foam, and a relatively thin and upper layer that may be formed of a synthetic leather.
In accordance with the invention, each palm pad includes one continuous heat/pressure-formed depression line that closely follows the edge or boarder of each palm pad. In this manner, the thickness of each palm pad is materially reduced along its edge, such that the thickness of the edge is generally equal to only the thickness of the palm pad upper synthetic leather layer. Thus, the edge of each palm pad blends smoothly into the fabric material that forms the palm of the athletic glove.
In embodiments of the invention, each of the relatively thick palm pads includes a number of thin, heat/pressure formed, depression lines or fold creases that lie internal of the palm pads, and that travel across the area of the palm pad, so as to divide each palm pad into a number of relatively thick pad areas that are joined or outlined by the thin depression lines; i.e., each relatively thick palm pad is embossed by operation of the thin depression lines that traverse the area of the palm pad.
In a first embodiment of the invention the above described relatively thick and smaller pad areas that lie internal of the above describe and relatively larger palm pads are formed by depression lines that include a compress portion of the middle foam layer. In a second embodiment of the invention each of the above described thick and relatively smaller pad areas includes its own individual thick and middle foam area, i.e. the depression lines that lie within the relatively larger palm pad do not include a compress foam layer.
The construction and arrangement of athletic gloves to which palm pads in accordance with the invention are adhesively attached, bound, or xe2x80x9cweldedxe2x80x9d in the presence of heat and pressure, and in the absence of stitching or the like are not critical to the invention.
While the invention finds general utility in athletic gloves, including gloves in which padding and/or protection is provided for only the back of the glove, or gloves in which padding and/or protection is provided for both the back and the palm of the glove, non-limiting embodiments of the invention will be described where athletic gloves in the form of cycling gloves include a palm side that is formed of a perforated or breathable synthetic leather, a back side that is formed of an elastic textile material, for example a polyurethane elastic textile such as Spandex or Lycra, and a wrist-encircling portion that includes a hook and loop closure member such as Velcro.
Cycling gloves having palm pads in accordance with the invention aid a cyclist in gripping the handlebar of a bicycle, as the glove palm pads support, protect, dampen and absorb shock, and pad the cyclist""s hands, and as the glove palm pads minimize the occurrence of numbness of the hands of a cyclist.
When athletic gloves constructed and arranged in accordance with the invention are worn, the upper or synthetic leather layer of each of the palm pads is exposed, and this upper layer aids in the gripping of an object such a the handlebar of a bicycle.
As used herein, the term foam or foam layer means a flexible, porous, natural or synthetic material whose volume contains a relatively high percentage of open or closed cells, and a relatively low percentage of the natural or synthetic material from which the foam is formed. While the spirit and scope of the invention is not to be limited thereto, in an embodiment of the invention, the foam layer within each palm pad had a thickness of about 5 millimeters (mm), and hardness of from about 40 durometer (40 d) to about 90 d, as measured by a durometer
A normal density, polyester based, expanded polyurethane foam is known to have a density of about 20 d, whereas a relatively high density, polyester based, expanded polyurethane foam has a hardness in the range of from about 40 d to about 90 d, and foams of this type can be used in accordance with the invention.
The term foam or foam layer, as used herein, is also intended to include a foamed or expanded plastic material that has been treated so as to cause air or gas bubbles or cells to be formed therein, these cells being, either closed cells or open cells. However, within the spirit and scope of the invention, the term foam or foam layer includes both presently known and after-developed equivalent means, such as gel-filled members and/or liquid-filled members. A non-limiting example is an open cell polyurethane foam.
While the invention will be described while making reference to the use of foam that may include open cell and/or closed cell foams, the spirit and scope of the invention includes the use of both existing equivalent foam members and after developed equivalent foam members. Examples of existing and equivalent foam members include, but are not limited to, gel-filled foam members, liquid-filled foam members, air-filled foam members, and combinations thereof
In an embodiment of the invention, the thickness of the palm pad adhesive layer and the thickness of the palm pad synthetic leather layer were each considerably less than the 5 mm thickness of the foam layer, and the thickness of the adhesive and synthetic leather layers are not critical to the invention. Without limitation thereto, the adhesive layer is a thin film having a thickness of about 0.2 mm, and the top synthetic leather layer may have a thickness of about 1.0 mm.
In an embodiment of the invention, but without limitation thereto, the selective application of heat and pressure to the above-described palm pads in order to form the above-described edge-located depression line and the internal depression line(s) occurred at from about 90 to about 100 degrees C. at a pressure of about 4 kilograms per square centimeter, and this heat and pressure was applied for about three seconds.
In accordance with the invention, the selective application of heat and line pressure to the above-described palm pads operates to adhesively attach the palm pads to the palm of an athletic glove.
In a first embodiment of the invention the relatively thick foam layer within each palm pad is permanently melted and cut by the application of heat and pressure to a thin layer, to thereby form thin depression lines within each of the palm pads.
In a second embodiment of the invention each palm pad that includes internal pad areas is provided with a number of relatively thick foam layers that individually define the individual internal pad areas, and the application of heat and pressure operates to secure the palm pad""s upper layer without melting the relatively thick foam layers that define the individual pad areas.
The internal depression lines that are formed in one or more of the palm pads operate to divide the palm pad(s) into a number of smaller size and internal pad areas. The thickness of each pad area is equal in thickness to the sum of the upper synthetic leather layer, the uncompressed thickness of the middle foam layer, and the thickness of the adhesive layer. More generally, each of the embossed pad areas has a thickness that is only slightly greater than the uncompressed thickness of the foam layer.
In accordance with the invention, each palm pad includes one continuous depression line that encircles the edge of each palm pad, so as to provide that the edge of each palm pad is continuous sealed to the palm of the glove by the application of heat and pressure. However, within the internal area of each palm pad, a desired pattern of inner depression lines may be provided to suit the flexure needs of a particular area of the glove palm, including depression lines within a palm pad that are linear or curved, and depression lines within a palm pad that cross each other as they traverse the palm pad.
As a feature of the invention, prior to the above-described application of heat and line pressure, each of the above-described palm pads may be formed into a unitary three-layer assembly, with this unitary assembly then being adhesively attached to the palm of an athletic glove by the selective application of heat and line pressure.
As a feature of the invention, palm pads in accordance with the invention include a bottom heat-sensitive adhesive layer and a top layer a synthetic leather that have generally the same planar shape and size, and a middle foam layer that is of generally the same planar shape, but is of a somewhat smaller size. The top and bottom layer are arranged in general positional coincidence, and the middle layer is centered between the top and bottom layer, so that the circumferential edge of the palm pad comprises only the top and bottom layer. In a first embodiment of the invention the above-described middle foam layer comprises a single piece of material. In a second embodiment of the invention the above-described middle foam layer includes a number of individual foam pieces, one piece for each individual pad area that is to be formed internal of the palm pad.
Within the spirit and scope of the invention, the above-described palm pads may be adhesively attached to the palm of an athletic glove only at the location of the above-described heat and pressure, or alternatively the entire area of the palm-pad adhesive layer may be activated by heat, while only the depression line portion of a palm pad is subjected to both heat and pressure.
In addition, and as a feature of the invention, the palm pads may be xe2x80x9ctackedxe2x80x9d to the palm of an athletic glove, using heat in the absence of pressure, and the above-described heat and line pressure may thereafter be applied to the palm pads and the athletic glove having the palm pads xe2x80x9ctackedxe2x80x9d thereon.
While the term synthetic leather is used herein, it is intended that the use of a more expensive natural leather, rather than a synthetic material that is fabricated so as to imitate natural leather, is also encompassed by the term synthetic leather